Breadcrumb

WARRENSBURG, MO – Growing up in Nepal, Keshav Bhattarai, Ph.D., remembers when he
once questioned his brother about the necessity of having a ceiling fan in a house
built in Kathmandu where mild summers annually attracted many Western tourists wanting
to avoid the heat. With “concrete islands” now dotting the countryside due to vast
urbanization, much has changed in his home country since then, including the fan proving
to be a much-valued investment.

Bhattarai, a professor of geography at the University of Central Missouri, most recently
visited Nepal with plans to use his knowledge and experience in urban planning to
help make a difference in the rapidly changing country. While it may be too early
to determine how the nation’s community and government leaders will respond to suggestions
made during the visit, he took advantage of many communication tools to help share
his thoughts on key issues that affect the quality of life for the nation’s citizens.

Bhattarai’s visit was made possible via his selection as a Fulbright Specialist to
serve in Nepal, June 20 to June 24. He worked in an urban planning capacity at Tribhuvan University
(TU) in Kathmandu as part of the prestigious Fulbright program through the United
States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. TU submitted
a proposal to the Department through the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu which opened the
door for Bhattarai’s Fulbright award.

Briefly discussing the country’s history, he pointed out that from 1996 to 2005 there
was a Maoist insurgency in Nepal, and since then a new constitution emerged. Along
with that, rural communities have been annexed into urban cities as a response to
stagnating economic conditions. This has led to overcrowding, more people competing
for limited facilities/ resources, and serious environmental concerns.

Bhattarai said that despite competition for limited resources/facilities, many of
the ruralopolises that have been created in Nepal are aspiring to become “smart cities.”
That is, they want to rely on electronic data collection to better manage their assets
and resources. The problem is political leaders and urban planners who are responsible
for planning the ruralopolises have been struggling to have real-time geospatial data
to promote them into “smart cities.”

“Likewise, faculty members offering courses on urban planning also are in need for
new methods and tools for urban planning with the introduction of geospatial technology,”
Bhattarai noted.

One of his objectives as a Fulbright Specialist was to help TU develop procedures
for gathering real-time data by disseminating geospatial knowledge. Bhattarai had
an opportunity to work closely with graduate students, faculty, TU’s administrative
members, peoples’ representatives, and urban planners. Prolific in scholarly research,
while he was overseas Bhattarai created opinion articles for local and national newspapers
focusing on various issues related to urbanization. These articles were not only published,
but they also caught the attention of bloggers and TV journalists who interviewed
him on their programs. Many of his ideas also were shared during one-on-one conversations
with political representatives.

Among his published works was an editorial he wrote for the “Khatmandu Post” about
smart city initiatives. Bhattarai stressed that Nepal urgently needs a city development
strategy to solve urban housing problems. One issue relates to the disparity in land
distribution which is feeding the over population problem.

“People have huge expectations from the current government and they recall the promises
made during the general election,” Bhattarai noted in his article. “It is time for
the government to address issues like how to prevent developers from hoarding lands
by introducing special provisions in land sale contracts and enhancing transparent
and sustainable property market.

“Since housing problems are deep-rooted and complicated in Nepal, solving it will
certainly take vision courage, and careful planning. But for a government with a sizeable
majority, this should not be an issue at all. Without such courageous approaches,
we will only witness dark sides of growth instead of it becoming an economic engine.”

He added that pollution and overcrowding have rendered some of the country’s urban
spaces almost unlivable. In an interview, he also discussed issues such as sewage
draining into city water supplies, and rising temperatures caused by the gases that
are emitted. Kathmandu Valley, which was once a favorite summer destination spot for
Western tourists, has experienced a rise in temperatures. Bhattarai believes that
if managed properly through urban planning, the country can remedy this situation.

“Nepal has no option but to make informed decisions by using digital technology to
help deploy sensors and analytics useful in cutting the misuse of utilities such as
water and electricity. He added, however, “Smart city applications can deliver significant
quality-of-life benefits without causing harm to the average person’s incomes. Smart
technologies cannot be a ‘great’ equalizer, nor can they solve the housing crisis
in the abeyance of broader strategies.

He proposed that such strategies be developed in cooperation with TU and Kathmandu
University, which have educational institutes in areas such as engineering, computer
science and geography. They are looking for opportunities to share their expert sources
to resolve urban planning problems. This, Bhattarai said, creates a “win-win situation.”

In addition to his work in urban planning, Bhattarai also discussed the service learning
and the teacher-scholar education model, topics which were actually published in “Lokaantar,”
a government-run online publication.

Bhattarai cited the old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a
day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

He added, “This analogy suggests that sustainable education is one that entices theory
and practice in every level of education. University graduates equipped with service-learning
education can deliver better policies and plans that act as a catalyst in the implementation
of [the] sustainable development of a country.”

Through his involvement in the Fulbright program, Bhattarai not only provided a valuable
service to his home country, but he takes back to UCM with him experiences he can
incorporate into classroom sessions that truly enable students to experience learning
to a greater degree.